


Lunch Hour

by midwinter_day



Category: The Terror (TV 2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Graduate School, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-30
Updated: 2020-04-30
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:48:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,091
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23924887
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/midwinter_day/pseuds/midwinter_day
Summary: In which there is flirting.
Relationships: Captain Francis Crozier/Commander James Fitzjames, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Thomas Jopson/Lt Edward Little
Comments: 6
Kudos: 39





	Lunch Hour

Dr. F.R.M. Crozier was the grumpy sort. Thomas realized this from the moment he met him when he followed up his introduction by immediately complaining about how drafty his office was. But that was okay. He liked Thomas. Probably because within an hour of that first meeting, Thomas had put in a maintenance request to fix Crozier’s loose window. It made Thomas feel special to be one of the few people that Francis Crozier didn’t hate even a little on campus.

Well, maybe he hated Thomas sometimes too. Like now, when Thomas interrupted his research to make him go to a meeting with Professor Franklin. 

“Fuck, Thomas.” 

“I know, sir,” Thomas handed Crozier his jacket as the reader stood up and stretched. 

“Why do I have to meet with the old man now during my lunch hour?”

“Because he asked you to, and you said yes.” 

“And you let me say yes, Thomas.” 

“Dr. Fitzjames will be there.”

“And seeing that pompous egomaniac—that’s supposed to make me want to go?” Crozier glowered at Thomas, who smiled. 

“At least you might get to have a good row. Won’t be all boring and you can tell me all about it when you get back.” 

Crozier ‘hmph’-ed in response but gave Thomas a surprised look. “Aren’t you supposed to go get lunch with your sister today? You mentioned it Monday.” 

How Crozier remembered Thomas’s schedule when he habitually forgot his own, Thomas would never understand.

“I already told Emma I couldn’t. I have papers to grade.”

“Grade them later. The students won’t stage a mutiny if I return them a day late.” Crozier urged before turning to leave.

And Thomas settled down at the table in Crozier’s office with a stack of undergraduate papers to grade. Emma was probably busy. She had likely filled her open lunch hour with a friend or two before Thomas had apologized a second time. 

Thomas marked up a structural error in the sentence he was reading and made a note for Crozier to mention the academic writing centre in the next class. Thomas Hartnell wasn’t a particularly gifted writer, but his argument was solid all the same and could have been helped by a quick proofread. 

There was a knock at the door, and Thomas looked up from the paper. Edward Little was standing in the doorway. He was looking a bit harried as if he had just run here, but harried might have been Edward’s natural state of being. His hair always seemed a bit tousled, and his eyes a bit too big.

“Hi, Edward.”

Edward jumped at the sound of his voice and whirled to face him. Edward smiled, and Thomas smiled back at him. “Oh, hi, Thomas.” 

“Are you looking for Dr. Crozier?” 

“Y-yeah. Is he out?” He asked, pointing at Crozier’s desk, covered with scattered paperwork and books but lacking the man.

“He’s meeting with Professor Franklin and Dr. Fitzjames about the project. Do you want me to give him a message?”

“No, it’s alright. He told me I could borrow a book. Said he was free around noon and to come by and grab it. I can come back later.”

“He forgot about the meeting. You know how he is.”

“Dr. Crozier? Forget a meeting? And with his two favorite coworkers? I’m shocked.” Edward teased, walking over to Thomas’s table. He seemed a bit more at ease now.

“I’m honestly surprised. He lives to torture Dr. Fitzjames.” Thomas leaned back in his chair. “Do you remember the book? Perhaps I can find it for you?”

“It’s Ross’s new one. Dr. Crozier got an advanced copy.” 

“Oh, yeah,” Thomas stood up and went to Crozier’s bookshelves, scanning it for Ross’s name. Crozier had a copy of every one of his prolific friend’s books, and with his haphazard system for shelving, Thomas’s task was practically Herculean. 

“Do you really think Crozier likes pulling Fitzjames’s pigtails, so to speak?” 

“I think it’s half the reason he makes it to department meetings. Certainly, the reason he goes to get Starbucks at exactly three on Wednesdays when he knows that Fitzjames is holding his office hours there.” 

“Compelling argument. You should come for drinks with the rest of us postgrads and compare notes with Charles. He thinks, quote, ‘they should just fuck and get it over with.’” 

“Well, that’s one take.” 

“Even if you don't share his thesis, you really should come for drinks. Get to know everybody. You’d enjoy it!”

Thomas hadn’t socialized with the other postgrads outside of pleasantries in class and the halls of the history department. His tenuous acquaintance—were they friends?—with Edward was only because of Edward’s closeness with Dr. Crozier. But the idea of spending time with Edward, becoming friends, if they weren’t already, would be… nice.

“Maybe some time. Just let me know when.” He bent over to look at the shelves closer to the ground. 

After Edward didn’t respond, he looked over his shoulder. Edward was staring at him, his mouth slightly agape, expression unreadable. “Er, Edward?”

Edward diverted his gaze as his face reddened. “I—Oh, it’s right here on the desk. I’m sorry, Thomas. Thanks for your help.” He snatched it up and was gone leaving Thomas half bent over and confused.

Was it something Thomas said? He hadn’t really said anything. Maybe if he’d been more emphatic about wanting to go out. He wasn’t against it, but between Dr. Crozier, his own studies, and family obligations, Thomas’s free time was erratic. 

Maybe Edward had just remembered that he had left the kettle on in the department kitchen or something, and this had nothing to do with Thomas. Yes, that had to be it.

Thomas went back to grading papers. 

“He’s insufferable, Thomas,” was the first thing Crozier said, appearing in the door and immediately stripping himself of his suit jacket.

“Which one?” Thomas said with a smile which Crozier returned.

“You’re right. Both of them.” He collapsed in his desk chair and scrubbed a hand over his face. “Professor Franklin wants the announcement of the project to coincide with the touring exhibition opening on campus, which moves us up a whole month. And James! James agreed with him!”

“Maybe Dr. Fitzjames thinks you have enough time. You will be working together.”

“We’ll have to spend double the time together working on it now. I wonder how many stories I’ll have to hear about his gap year backpacking through rural China.” Crozier grumbled then looked at Thomas. “Aren’t you supposed to be at lunch?”


End file.
